Do you have a good understanding of financial planning and business plans, the ability to analyse accounts and numerical data, and to identify and manage risk?

We are currently looking for Funding Officers to join our existing Building Better Opportunities and Financial Resilience teams. You will manage your own caseload, liaise with grant recipients, undertake project visits, assess compliance, identify and manage risk and support organisations to deliver their projects and measure their impact.

Roles within the Building Better Opportunities team will be permanent and based in Newcastle. There are permanent and one fixed term contract roles available in the Financial Resilience team, which will be based in either Newcastle or London.

About us

The Big Lottery Fund is the largest community funder in the UK. Last year we distributed more than £700 million to over 13,000 projects.

We believe strong, vibrant communities are built and renewed by the people living in them. Communities come in all shapes and sizes, and National Lottery funding is there for everyone.

We focus on supporting charities, community groups and people with great ideas, local or national, large or small, which will create opportunities for people to improve their lives. We aim to work with people flexibly and on their terms, improving the ways we engage with communities and building new partnerships with other funders, charities and individuals.

As part of our portfolio, through the Building Better Opportunities Programme, the Big Lottery Fund is matching funds from the European Social Fund (ESF) 2014-2020 investing in local projects across England to tackle the root causes of poverty, promote social inclusion and drive local jobs and growth.

We also test new forms of non-grant funding and one of these programmes is the ‘Life Chances Fund’, which co-commissions social impact bonds (SIBs) alongside local commissioners working in areas such as youth employment, children’s services, older people’s services and healthy live. This programme is managed by our Financial Resilience team whose work focuses on strengthening the capacity and capability of civil society organisations.

About the role

As a Funding Officer, you’ll have plenty of scope for autonomy and responsibility. You’ll use your judgement and knowledge to make recommendations and decisions, as well as your skills in understanding the needs of different customers and providing advice and feedback. You won’t need much supervision or oversight from your senior colleagues taking personal leadership of your own work and your own development. You will take pride in your work and positively influence and engage with our customers and stakeholders both internally and externally.

You’ll be part of a team, led by a Funding Manager, and comprised of a number of other Funding Officers. The roles will involve regular travel across England.

About you

We are looking for people who are passionate about making a difference through our funding and who really understand the communities we work with.

You will have:

Strong written and verbal communication skills and confidence to operate in a wide range of environments

Strong financial and analytical skills

Confidence to use your judgement, take initiative and challenge when appropriate

Ability to cope with pressure and to react quickly to changing circumstances

Ability to build and maintain excellent relationships

Ability to manage your own workload with minimal supervision

Sound IT skills

For the Building Better Opportunities roles, some experience of European Funding rules and requirements is desirable.

For the Life Chances roles, relevant social impact bond and/or social investment knowledge is desirable as is experience of liaising and negotiating with stakeholders at a range of levels within organisations and local government.

For you

We seek to develop our staff and offer a wide range of personal development opportunities.

We offer a wide range of generous benefits including:

Generous annual leave and company pension scheme

Flexible working to support staff with their work/life balance

Enhanced paid maternity, paternity and adoption leave

Season ticket and cycle to work loans

Paid volunteering leave

We are not just an equal opportunities employer, we celebrate the diversity of our staff. We positively encourage applications from individuals regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion or belief, marital status, pregnancy and maternity. We are committed to increasing employment opportunities for people with disabilities and will respond positively to meet individual needs throughout the recruitment process and in the workplace. We also offer opportunities for part-time employment and welcome applicants who can speak a second language.

About applying

To apply online and find further details about the role, our application process, the Fund’s work, and our range of excellent benefits, please visit www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/jobs.

Please specify in your application which team you are interested in working with, and for Financial Resilience, whether you’re applying for a role based in Newcastle or London.